I wish I were reading out of boredom
It's been a long, long time since I've read out of boredom. Maybe since my childhood. The last clear memory I have of reading out of boredom is during a power outage. I have no idea how old I was, (I might guess somewhere around 14 years old) but there was nothing to do obviously with the power out. I picked "The Chosen" off the shelf and become deeply engrossed in it. This was a surprising development for me, as even in the old day (the 90s) I was inundated with so much effortless entertainment that reading was not something I could do automatically.
After a bit of a drought, I am reading relatively regularly these days. I read to go to sleep, and usually this means I read 15-60 minutes per night. (and usually around 30 minutes) This is not impressive, but doing it daily means I'm getting at least some reading done. I've got two young kids and a full time job, so at least for now this might be as good as it gets.
But, I'm not reading out of boredom. I'm reading because watching Youtube to fall asleep is less enriching. Watching Youtube to fall asleep also just keeps me awake longer; it makes for worse sleep. I need something when I fall asleep because my thoughts are too stressed out and chaotic. So really, I'm reading to quiet my mind. This is a fine enough reason to read, but it's not ideal. I should be able to quiet my mind without external stimulus. I do read because I'm interested in the topic I'm reading. But I'm not reading like I did that one time when I was young. I'm not fully engrossed in the book; my attention is always at risk of being elsewhere. The book is protecting me from my thoughts.